CARS: 5 notable vehicles from pop culture vehicles to love

Cars and pop culture go together like whitewall tires and Cadillacs. Here’s a look at five iconic vehicles from movies, television and even music videos.

1. ZZ Top’s The Eliminator: No car has become as synonymous with one artist as ZZ Top’s red hot rod. The modified 1933 Ford coupe appeared in the band’s popular music videos in the early ’80s for hits “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs.” The car also appears on the cover of huge-selling album “Eliminator.”

2. Herbie the Love Bug: The 1963 Volkswagen Beetle not only had a mind of its own, but got its own series of movies in the ’60s and ’70s. The original family-friendly 1968 film “The Love Bug” even filmed at the Riverside International Raceway. (Let’s go ahead and forget the Lindsay Lohan 2005 reboot, “Herbie Fully Loaded,” which started the demolition derby of her career.)

3. KITT, “Knight Rider”: Before people could plug a smartphone into the dashboard and have it read their messages, make phone calls or give directions, talking cars were a thing of fantasy and the 1980s David Hasselhoff show “Knight Rider.” The star of the sci-fi show was KITT, a 1982 artificially intelligent Pontiac Trans Am. Rumor has it the whole reason the Hoff auditioned for “Baywatch” was because KITT told him to.

4. DeLorean, “Back to the Future": Great Scott! Only the “Back to the Future” series could make famous a car company that went bankrupt after its owner was arrested on drug trafficking charges. Even though John DeLorean was ultimately acquitted, the DeLorean Motor Co. was in the chop shop. If you want to see one in person, check out the Popnology exhibit at the L.A. County Fair in Pomona.

5. Ecto-1, “Ghostbusters”: So if you and your friends start hunting and eradicating ghosts from New York City, a special vehicle is in order, and a 1959 Cadillac chassis that was formerly an ambulance is weird enough to do the trick. Want to know how iconic this is? The Ecto-1 has its own Lego set.

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